The growth of cosmology into a precision science represents one of the most remarkable stories of the past century. Much has been written chronicling this development, but rarely has any of it focused on the most critical element of this work-the cosmic spacetime itself. Addressing this lacuna is the principal focus of this book, documenting the growing body of evidence compelling us-not only to use this famous solution to Einstein's equations in order to refine the current paradigm, but-to probe its foundation at a much deeper level. Its excursion from the smallest to largest possible scales insightfully reveals an emerging link between the Universe we behold and the established tenets of our most fundamental physical theories. Key Features: Uncovers the critical link between the Local Flatness Theorem in general relativity and the symmetries informing the spacetime's metric coefficients Develops a physical explanation for some of the most unpalatable coincidences in cosmology Provides a sober assessment of the horizon problems precluding our full understanding of the early Universe Reveals a possible explanation for the origin of rest-mass energy in Einstein's theory In spite of its technical layout, this book does not shy away from introducing the principal players who have made the most enduring contributions to this field. Anyone with a graduate level foundation in physics and astronomy will be able to easily follow its contents.

This volume examines the way in which cultural ideas about "the heavens" shape religious ideas and are shaped by them in return. Our approaches to cosmology have a profound effect on the way in which we each deal with religious questions and participate in the imaginative work of public and private world-building. Employing an interdisciplinary team of international scholars, each chapter shows how religion and cosmology interrelate and matter for real people. Historical and contemporary case studies are included to demonstrate the lived reality of a variety of faith traditions and their interactions with the cosmos. This breadth of scope allows readers to get a unique overview of how religion, science and our view of space have, and will continue to, impact our worldviews. Offering a comprehensive exploration of humanity and its relationship with cosmology, this book will be an important reference for scholars of Religion and Science, Religion and Culture, Interreligious Dialogue and Theology, as well as those interested in Science and Culture and Public Education.

Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation of Environmental Pollutants: Recent Advances and Challenges provides comprehensive information on the principles and practical knowledge of microbe-assisted phytoremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants for environmental safety. This book describes the physiological, biochemical, microbiological, and molecular basis of microbe-assisted phytoremediation and contains many relevant topics to fill the gaps in developing an understanding of microbe-assisted phytoremediation of environmental pollutants. The book provides state-of-the-art knowledge on fundamental, practical, and purposeful utilization of plant-associated bacteria (plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria [PGPR] and endophytes) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for plant-growth promotion and enhanced phytoremediation of environmental pollutants in the contaminated matrix. Features: Provides a state-of-the-art overview of microbe-assisted phytoremediation Emphasizes the roles of PGPR, endophytes, and mycorrhizal fungi in assisted phytoremediation Elucidates biochemical and molecular mechanisms of microbe-assisted phytoremediation Details field studies and success stories of microbe-assisted phytoremediation Explores advances, challenges, and future directions in microbe-assisted phytoremediation The book serves as a valuable resource for researchers, ecotoxicologists, environmental scientists and engineers, environmental microbiologists and biotechnologists, environmental health and risk scientists, environmental science managers and administrators, remediation practitioners, environmental policymakers, and students at the postgraduate and doctoral levels in the relevant fields who wish to work on microbe-assisted phytoremediation of pollutants for environmental safety and sustainability.

In today's world, deep learning source codes and a plethora of open access geospatial images are readily available and easily accessible. However, most people are missing the educational tools to make use of this resource. Deep Learning for Remote Sensing Images with Open Source Software is the first practical book to introduce deep learning techniques using free open source tools for processing real world remote sensing images. The approaches detailed in this book are generic and can be adapted to suit many different applications for remote sensing image processing, including landcover mapping, forestry, urban studies, disaster mapping, image restoration, etc. Written with practitioners and students in mind, this book helps link together the theory and practical use of existing tools and data to apply deep learning techniques on remote sensing images and data. Specific Features of this Book: The first book that explains how to apply deep learning techniques to public, free available data (Spot-7 and Sentinel-2 images, OpenStreetMap vector data), using open source software (QGIS, Orfeo ToolBox, TensorFlow) Presents approaches suited for real world images and data targeting large scale processing and GIS applications Introduces state of the art deep learning architecture families that can be applied to remote sensing world, mainly for landcover mapping, but also for generic approaches (e.g. image restoration) Suited for deep learning beginners and readers with some GIS knowledge. No coding knowledge is required to learn practical skills. Includes deep learning techniques through many step by step remote sensing data processing exercises.

Based on the first edition with extensive analysis of practical applications of environmental risk management and compliance management systems, this second edition of International Environmental Risk Management reflects updates made in the understanding and application of risk management best practices and makes available a frame of reference and systematic approach to environmental and social governance (ESG). It provides a pathway for readers to implement environmental management strategies that can be integrated with core operations and other risk management efforts, including supporting sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives associated with climate change, the circular economy or supply chain conditions, as well as enterprise risk management; anti-bribery, and other compliance management systems. This book provides in-depth discussions of ways to use global environmental management standards. New features in this edition: Combines EMS standards with discussion of specific principles, other authors' research, and guidelines on management practices. Provides guidelines on how to prepare for, anticipate, and resolve environmental issues. Includes easily understandable information for all readers and is not simply aimed toward individuals who are knowledgeable about this topic. Provides in-depth discussions on using global environmental management standards to manage risk and promote resilience, as well as legal strategies and voluntary initiatives that companies can utilize to minimize risk. Accounts for the substantive revisions in ISO 14001:2015. As a growing and rapidly changing field, it is necessary to address new issues, guidelines, and regulations to assist businesses, academia, students, consultants, lawyers, and environmental managers with a pragmatic resolution to environmental risk management issues. This second edition gives a broad and detailed analysis of the changes made to international standards and practices and serves as an excellent guide to managing environmental risk.

The latest 4th edition of the international standard on the principles of reliability for load bearing structures (ISO2394:2015) includes a new Annex D dedicated to the reliability of geotechnical structures. The emphasis in Annex D is to identify and characterize critical elements of the geotechnical reliability-based design process. This book contains a wealth of data and information to assist geotechnical engineers with the implementation of semi-probabilistic or full probabilistic design approaches within the context of established geotechnical knowledge, principles, and experience. The introduction to the book presents an overview on how reliability can play a complementary role within prevailing norms in geotechnical practice to address situations where some measured data and/or past experience exist for limited site-specifi c data to be supplemented by both objective regional data and subjective judgment derived from comparable sites elsewhere. The principles of reliability as presented in ISO2394:2015 provides the common basis for harmonization of structural and geotechnical design. The balance of the chapters describes the uncertainty representation of geotechnical design parameters, the statistical characterization of multivariate geotechnical data and model factors, semi-probabilistic and direct probability-based design methods in accordance to the outline of Annex D. This book elaborates and reinforces the goal of Annex D to advance geotechnical reliability-based design with geotechnical needs at the forefront while complying with the general principles of reliability given by ISO2394:2015. It serves as a supplementary reference to Annex D and it is a must-read for designing geotechnical structures in compliance with ISO2394:2015.

Aliens. Ley lines. Water dowsing. Conspiracies and myths captivate imaginations and promise mystery and magic. Whether it's arguing about the moon landing hoax or a Frisbee-like Earth drifting through space, when held up to science and critical thinking, these ideas fall flat. In Weird Earth: Debunking Strange Ideas About Our Planet, Donald R. Prothero demystifies these conspiracies and offers answers to some of humanity's most outlandish questions. Applying his extensive scientific knowledge, Prothero corrects misinformation that con artists and quacks use to hoodwink others about geology-hollow earth, expanding earth, and bizarre earthquakes-and mystical and paranormal happenings-healing crystals, alien landings, and the gates of hell. By deconstructing wild claims such as prophesies of imminent natural disasters, Prothero provides a way for everyone to recognize dubious assertions. Prothero answers these claims with facts, offering historical and scientific context in a light-hearted manner that is accessible to everyone, no matter their background. With a careful layering of evidence in geology, archaeology, and biblical and historical records, Prothero's Weird Earth examines each conspiracy and myth and leaves no question unanswered.

First published in 1992, this wide-ranging volume features 44 articles from 89 contributors on issues of and solutions to modelling of coastal waters around the world in response to an increasing interest in the development and application of numerical hydraulic models as design and management tools. The contributors advise on areas including tidal current modelling, water quality modelling, sediment transport modelling, wave kinematics and computational methods, along with two keynote articles. The main aim of the conference and its resulting volume was to provide a forum whereby engineers, scientists and planners involved in multi-disciplinary models could collaborate and share their expertise. The counterpart to this book is Hydraulic and Environmental Modelling: Estuarine and River Waters.

First Published in 1992. This book arose as a result of the authors work on the review 'Solitary Vortices in Plasmas' written for the Soviet Journal of Plasma Physics. With the development of nonlinear wave theory some novel concepts came into use, such as solitary waves, solitary vortices, and solitons. There is still some inconsistency in the use of these terms. The study of solitary waves (solitons) should ultimately lead to a better understanding of the internal structure of elementary particles. That is why solitons are attracting great attention from physicists and mathematicians. The material presented in this book shows that solitons are also of interest in plasma physics and geophysics, where these concepts have many important applications.

Originally published in 1899, The History of Creation was the first book of its kind to apply a doctrine to the whole range of organic morphology and make use of the effect Darwin had on biological sciences during the 19th century. Haeckel looks at Darwin's reform of Descent Theory and its establishment through the doctrine of selection. He introduces Descent Theory into the systematic classification of animals and plants and finds a "natural system" on the basis of genealogy - that is, to construct hypothetical pedigrees for the various species of organisms. The book will be of interest to those studying natural history and the origins of modern scientific thought, it will appeal to researchers both in the natural sciences and in history.

Originally published in 1899, The History of Creation was the first book of its kind to apply a doctrine to the whole range of organic morphology and make use of the effect Darwin had on biological sciences during the 19th century. Haeckel looks at Darwin's reform of Descent Theory and its establishment through the doctrine of selection. He introduces Descent Theory into the systematic classification of animals and plants and finds a "natural system" on the basis of genealogy - that is, to construct hypothetical pedigrees for the various species of organisms. The book will be of interest to those studying natural history and the origins of modern scientific thought, it will appeal to researchers both in the natural sciences and in history.

"... the most comprehensive book on NEPA and impact assessment to date....provides practical guidance for navigating the complexities of NEPA, environmental planning; readers are provided with a single guide describing modern tools, techniques, and approaches for streamlining project implementation." Dr. Lynton K. Caldwell, "The Father of NEPA" (Endorsement prepared for draft text, before he passed away) The U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 established the world's first modern national environmental policy. All federal agencies must comply with NEPA's sweeping mandate to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluating impacts and alternatives of significant federal actions. More than 100 countries have now enacted similar policies emulating NEPA. Written by a leading NEPA expert, this all-inclusive handbook: * Incorporates a step-by-by step approach, advancing the reader from NEPA's basic principles through advanced topics of interest to seasoned professionals * Describes environmental planning and EIA from both American and international perspectives * Integrates best professional practices from hundreds of sources, papers, and guidance directives * Demonstrates state-of-the-art tools, techniques, and approaches for solving problems that have hindered NEPA and environmental planning practices. NEPA and Environmental Planning: Tools, Techniques, and Approaches for Practitioners is an indispensable resource for professionals in government, consulting, planning, science and engineering, as well as students in undergraduate and graduate programs.

The definitive reference in its field, Ecological Risk Assessment, Second Edition details the latest advances in science and practice. In the fourteen years since the publication of the best-selling first edition, ecological risk assessment (ERA) has moved from the margins into the spotlight. It is now commonly applied to the regulation of chemicals, the remediation of contaminated sites, the monitoring of importation of exotic organisms, the management of watersheds, and other environmental management issues. Delineating the processes for performing an ERA, the book begins by defining the field, then goes on to describe its relationship to other environmental assessment practices and its organizational framework. The book also includes a chapter on ecological epidemiology, which has previously been treated as a type of ERA, but is now recognized as a distinct practice in itself. It explores important concepts in the ERA process including probability, uncertainty, scale, mode of action and multiple causes. Reflecting changes in the field, the book's scope has been broadened to include discussions of the application of ERA to agents other than chemical contaminants. The multitude of illustrative figures provides a flavor for the diverse practice of ERA. The author has re-organized the material, presenting a unitary process of ERA that is applicable to various problems, scales, and mandates. He keeps the emphasis squarely on providing clear, scientifically sound, and unbiased technical advice on the risks from chemicals and chemical mixtures.

A Practical Guide to Understanding, Managing and Reviewing Environmental Risk Assessment Reports provides team leaders and team members with a strategy for developing the elements of risk assessment into a readable and beneficial report. The authors believe that successful management of the risk assessment team is a key factor is quality reports. Leadership first clarifies the roles of each participant and the unique technical factors of their respective disciplines. Teamwork is achieved through an emphasis on common language and procedures. Belluck and Benjamin explore a variety of techniques for creating accurate and useful reports. An example is Proactive Risk Assessment, which breaks a project into discrete parts to be delivered on an interim basis. This method, based on iterative review, drastically increases the chance of detecting errors while they can still be corrected. The authors emphasize rigorous standards by which reports are audited, evaluated and critiqued. The goal is to create reports that are accurate, useful and, adaptable on an industry-wide basis.

Kortz and Smay bring their highly successful lecture tutorial approach (Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Geoscience) to easy-to-implement resource for any introductory earth science course. The brief activities here get students actively involved in the practical application of earth science concepts, while helping them navigate common pitfalls and misconceptions. Activities are built around questions that increase in conceptual difficulty as students progress. Easily incorporated in any class setting and size, the tutorials require no technology and no change in the syllabus, and are compatible with any introductory earth science text.

This book deals with the estimation of natural ressources using a Monte Carlo methodology. It includes a set of tools to describe the morphological, statistical and stereological properties of spatial random models. Furthermore the author presents a wide range of spatial models, including random sets and functions, point processes and object populations applicable to the geosciences. This book results from a series of courses given in the USA and Latin America to civil, mining and petroleum engineers as well as graduate students in statistics. It is the first book discussing the geostatistical simulation techniques in such a specific way. .

This book focuses on learning and adapting nonlinear geometry tool in rock engineering through fractal theories, hypotheses, algorithm, practical understandings, and case studies. Understanding self-similarity and self-affinity is a prerequisite to the fractal model in rock mechanics. The book aims to provide a guide for the readers seeking to understand and build nonlinear model by fractal algorithm. The book is motivated by recent rapid advances in rock engineering in China including application of fractal theory, in addition to percolation theory. It is an essential reference to the most promising innovative rock engineering. Chapters are carefully developed to cover (1) new fractal algorithms (2) five engineering cases. This authored book addresses the issue with a holistic and systematic approach that utilizes fractal theory to nonlinear behavior in rock engineering. The book is written for researchers interested in rock and geological engineering as well as organizations engaged in underground energy practices.

The Angry Earth explores how various cultures in different historical moments have responded to calamity, offering insight into the complex relationship between societies and their environments. From hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes to oil spills and nuclear accidents, disasters triggered by both natural and technological hazards have become increasingly frequent and destructive across the planet. Through case studies drawn from around the globe the contributors to this volume examine issues ranging from the social and political factors that set the stage for disaster, to the cultural processes experienced by survivors, to the long-term impact of disasters on culture and society. In the second edition, each chapter has been updated with a postscript to reflect on recent developments in the field. There is also new material on key present-day topics including epidemics, drought, non-governmental organizations, and displacement and resettlement. This book demonstrates the relevance of studying disaster from an anthropological perspective and is a valuable resource not only for anthropologists but for other fields concerned with education, policy and practice.

A San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller Read the rocks as only a geologist can, with this deep drill-down into Oakland’s geological history and its impacts on the city’s urban present. "This book has turned me into a newcomer to my own city, but has also changed the way I will view any landscape. I can think of few greater gifts than that."—Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing "Spending time with Andrew Alden is like giving yourself x-ray eyes." —Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible Beneath Oakland’s streets and underfoot of every scurrying creature atop them, rocks roil, shift, crash, and collide in an ever-churning seismological saga. Playing out since time immemorial, the deep geology of this city has chiseled and carved its landforms and the lives of everyone—from the Ohlone to the settlers to the transients and transplants—who has called this singular place home. In Deep Oakland, geologist Andrew Alden excavates the ancient story of Oakland’s geologic underbelly and reveals how its silt, soil, and subterranean sinews are intimately entwined with its human history—and future. Poised atop a world-famous fault line now slumbering, Alden charts how these quaking rocks gave rise to the hills and the flats; how ice-age sand dunes gave root to the city’s eponymous oak forests; how the Jurassic volcanoes of Leona Heights gave way to mining boom times; how Lake Merritt has swelled and disappeared a dozen times over the course of its million-year lifespan; and how each epochal shift has created the terrain cradling Oaklanders today. With Alden as our guide—and with illustrations by Laura Cunningham, author of A State of Change—we see that just as Oakland is a human crossroads, a convergence of cultures from the world over, so too is the bedrock below, carried here from parts still incompletely known.

Intertidal Deposits: River Mouths, Tidal Flats, and Coastal Lagoons combines the authors personal and professional experience with the mass of available literature to present a cohesive overview of intertidal deposits and the widely diverse conditions of their formation worldwide. This includes the strong influence of water movements, climate, sediment particle characteristics, vegetation, fauna, and man. Intertidal areas are important for many reasons both scientifically and economically and recently, a growing concern for conservation of these fragile regions strives to preserve and protect their natural balance. This book, written by an international expert in the field, concentrates on the more important intertidal areas distinguished by size and morphology, tidal range, the degree and type of vegetational cover, the amount and type of benthic fauna, the extent of human exploitation, and the degree of previous study.

Building on the success of T.J.T. Spanos's previous book The Thermophysics of Porous Media, The Physics of Composite and Porous Media explains non-linear field theory that describes how physical processes occur in the earth. It describes physical processes associated with the interaction of the various phases at the macroscale (the scale at which continuum equations are established) and how these interactions give rise to additional physical processes at the megascale (the scale orders of magnitude larger at which a continuum description may once again be established). Details are also given on how experimental, numerical and theoretical work on this subject fits together. This book will be of interest to graduate students and academic researchers working on understanding the physical process in the earth, in addition to those working in the oil and hydrogeology industries.

THis new edition of this successful book has been thoroughly revised to take account of recent advances in our understanding of slope stability and instability. The book begins with a consideration of slope stability processes, including the evolution of natural slopes. Thebehaviour of soil and rocks, and the flow of water through them, (which is of fundamental importance to their shear strength), are explained in considerable detail. The principles and techniques of stability analysis are covered in two separate chapters. From this basic theory the author develops practical design criteria for new slopes, discusses remedial measures for slope stabilization, and provides guidance on investigation of landslides. Computer programs to facilitate analysis and design are discussed where appropriate, and the book concludes with several carefully selected case histories, and design recommendations for man-made slopes.

A wide-ranging compilation of techniques, Extrapolation Practice for Ecotoxicological Effect Characterization of Chemicals describes methods of extrapolation in the framework of ecological risk assessment. The book, informally known as EXPECT, identifies data needs and situations where these extrapolations can be most usefully applied, making it a practical guide to the application of extrapolation procedures. It focuses on the extrapolation of chemical effects and covers the extrapolation of exposures in the context of interactions between toxicants and the matrix.

Consisting of papers that have appeared recently in International Geology Review, Middle American Terranes, Potential Correlatives, and Orogenic Processes focuses on Middle American terranes in which tectonic processes, including flat-slab subduction, for orogenic development are examined at various times since the late Mesoproterozoic: at 1 Ga, through the Paleozoic, and into the Cenozoic. Many papers relate the evolution of the Middle American terranes over the past billion years to global scale events, and a second theme running through the book relates to the supercontinents, Rodinia and Pangea, the geometry of their amalgamation and breakup, and the processes responsible. Highlights include: * An update on the geographic record, tectonic setting, and provenance of these terranes * Documentation of allocthonous nature and position peripheral to Amazonia of the ~1 Ga basement of southern Mexico * Data demonstrating that the basement rocks were involved in several Phanerozoic tectonic events * An examination of new evidence of a Late Paleozoic event associated with the amalgamation of Pangea overprinting the ~1 Ga basement and the Paleozoic units lying chiefly to the west and south of it * An exploration of the following potential correlatives: (1) events in Europe on the northern margin of Gondwana; (2) the Late Silurian-Devonian Acadian orogeny in the Appalachian, which is inferred to have resulted from flat-slab subduction related to overriding a plume; and (3) Mesozoic-Cenozoic events along the western margin of Laurentia * A discussion of possible mechanisms for the initiation of orogeny, flat-slab subduction in the Laramide orogeny, and hypotheses relating to the amalgamation and breakup of supercontine